Honorary degree for Street

By Mitch Lipka INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Mayor Street, already a lawyer, is due to be awarded an honorary law degree tomorrow to go with the one he studied for.

Southern New England School of Law will award four such degrees at its commencement in Dartmouth, Mass.

Robert Ward, the law school's dean and a Philadelphia native, nominated Street for the honor. He said he has always followed the goings-on in the city and has great respect for Street's history of civic leadership dating to the mayor's days as a community activist.

Ward said he sees Street, a 1975 alumnus of Temple University Law School, as a good role model for the graduates.

"One of the things we emphasize here at the law school is doing public interest work, doing pro bono work," he said.

"People can differ, but it strikes me that Mayor Street has done a pretty good job," Ward said. "It's a tough job running a city, particularly one as feisty as Philadelphia."